De-Canon: A Visibility Project, a popup library and social engagement project showcasing writers and artists of color, launched with our first installation exhibit at UNA Gallery, from Aug 3 to 26.

De-Canon: A Visibility Project is a “pop-up library” and web resource project that showcases literary art by writers/artists of color. Our goal is to put forth an alternative literary “canon” — or multiple canons — that are inclusive, diverse, and multi-storied in their approach to representation. De-Canon wishes to challenge existing ideas of what constitutes the North American literary canon, especially in our current culture.

Our August exhibit at UNA Gallery featured 334 books by writers of color, 270 of which were purchased for the collection or donated by authors or presses, and the remaining 64 were loaned to the collection for the exhibit by Dao Strom, Neil Aitken, and another local writer. See a snapshot of our book list here.